Target: Sonja Ntuli, Director of Public Prosecutions, Mpumalanga Division, Mbombela, South Africa (National Prosecuting Authority)
Goal: Identify and prosecute whoever poisoned a goat carcass with restricted pesticide, killing three critically endangered Cape vultures near Kruger National Park.
During an aerial survey, conservation teams discovered three Cape vultures lying dead on a private game farm bordering the Kruger region. A subsequent ground investigation revealed that the goat carcass on which the birds had fed was deliberately saturated with a highly restricted agricultural organophosphate pesticide. Investigators suspect the poisoned carcass may have been positioned as lethal bait specifically to eliminate scavenging vultures.
The possible motive makes the deaths particularly sinister. Authorities believe poachers may target vultures because circling birds can alert rangers to illegally killed wildlife. SAPS wildlife crime investigators are examining soil and tissue samples to establish the pesticide’s chemical signature. Regional agricultural cooperatives have also been asked to report suspicious toxin sales or livestock thefts. No suspect has been identified, and no court has established criminal liability.
Cape vultures cannot afford losses caused by deliberate poisoning. Once identified, if investigators establish that these birds were targeted to conceal other wildlife crimes, prosecution must reflect both the deaths and the potential wider poaching operation. Those responsible must be identified and held accountable under South Africa’s applicable environmental and wildlife protection laws.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear DPP Ntuli,
Three critically endangered Cape vultures died after consuming a goat carcass saturated with restricted agricultural pesticide. The circumstances raise grave concerns that the birds may have been deliberately targeted because their natural circling behavior can expose poaching activity.
The forensic evidence could provide a path toward whoever prepared this lethal bait. Toxicology results, restricted-pesticide transactions, livestock records, and intelligence concerning regional poaching activity should be pursued thoroughly.
Please ensure that, once sufficient admissible evidence identifies those responsible, appropriate prosecution follows under every applicable South African law. These vultures suffered lethal poisoning, while their deaths may also signal broader wildlife crime. Critically endangered animals deserve protection backed by meaningful consequences.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: John Haslam
